Potter, Choose Me!
by Beersmoo
Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart? Currently in hiatus, until I get my muse back.
1. It begins

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter Characters belong only to her greatness, JK Rowling)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. PWP. AU Hogwarts. 5****th**** Year.**

"Severus! What the bloody hell was that?"

Hogwarts' very own Draco Malfoy ranted to his godfather deep within the dungeons. Severus smirked back and drawled lazily leaning against his desk.

"It seems that Potter has reduced your mental capacity to that of a flobberworm Draco. I thought it was obvious. I was watching Potter eat his dinner, of course."

"What do you want with Potter anyway? Stay away from him!" Draco snarled in Severus' face. Abruptly, Severus' deep obsidian gaze hardened and his expression turned cold.

"It is not your right to question my actions Draco! I am still your godfather and Head of House! What I do in regards to Potter is none of your business." Severus sneered back.

Draco bristled at the reply but retorted back, "He is mine!"

Severus snarled back, "You cannot lay claim to what was never yours in the first place, foolish boy."

"Oh really? Says who?" Draco taunted.

"Potter will never choose such an immature brat such as you. I can show him how to take his place in the Wizarding World, teach him things he has never dreamed of." Severus replied coolly.

"How would you know? I'm sure that I can easily get him to fall for my charms. Besides, I'm not old enough to be his father. Who can resist me?" Draco glared unflinchingly at the Potions Master.

"Is that a challenge?" Severus' eyes narrowed as he scrutinized Draco's face for hints of weakness.

The patented Malfoy Smirk ™ made its way on to its usual place on Draco's aristocratic features.

"Yes it is."

"Very well, then. I accept. You are digging your own grave Draco."

Draco sniffed and tossed his hair, before turning on his heel and strutting out the door.

Up in Gryffindor Tower, Harry chattered on with his friends amicably, blissfully unaware of the forces plotting behind strange events for weeks to come.


	2. What's going on!

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and stuffs belong to her greatness JK Rowling.)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. AU Hogwarts. 5****th**** Year.**

**Harry's POV**

Things have been a bit weird lately.

The Slytherins have actually been a bit… tame? Nice? Psycho? What happened to all the taunts, the jeering, throwing things in my cauldron?

And what is up with Malfoy? He watches me when he thinks I'm not watching. I caught him looking at me during lunch yesterday. He looked away hurriedly…

…And blushed. Bloody hell.

That's not all! Today, we had Double Potions. Like the past few days, the Slytherins ignored me. Didn't stop them from going after the other Gryffindors though. I actually managed to make a passable Petrifying Draught. Snape's deep, baritone voice rang out," Ten points to anyone who manages to brew the Draught correctly, not that I would expect any of you dunderheads to achieve this."

Even though Snape's cover as the spy in Voldemort's ranks had been blown last summer, the only thing that changed was his preferential treatment of the Slytherins. Now he's just an arse to the general student population, and me especially of course.

Except…

Well, back to Potions class. I managed to brew an acceptable potion! Right consistency, smell and colour! Snape walked through the aisles, sneering down his nose while awarding points only to the Slytherins who had brewed the Draught correctly. When he came to Malfoy, their eyes locked and the tension seemed to multiply in a split-second. The wordless battle was broken when Malfoy smirked, and Snape turned without awarding a single point!

When he neared my table, I sighed and looked firmly down at the worktable, waiting for the inevitable rebuking and taunting that was sure to come. The smell of ink and sandalwood drifted to my nose and I spotted his menacing, black robes out of the corner of my eyes. Steeling myself, I squeezed my eyes shut.

"Ten points to Gryffindor."

My head snapped up to stare at his face, instantly searching for signs of insincerity and ridicule. The Slytherins stared through narrowed, calculating eyes, while the Gryffindors gawked and gaped. "Thank you, sir." I mumbled out. Snape smirked before sweeping back up the aisle, his robes billowing impressively behind him. For a moment, his eyes seemed to burn with an intense emotion I could not name. Staring at his his silhouette walking back to his desk, I shivered at the… _longing_ to feel his gaze on me again. Meanwhile, Malfoy was watching me with a hard look on his face.

Here I am now, laying on my bed. Damn, I'm so confused! Maybe I should tell Sirius, no, Hermione. She'll know what to do! Oh crap, I can hear Hermione harping at me to grab Ron and finish our Charms Essays. Oh well…

**Whew! Another Chapter popped out! Harry's view on the happenings in Hogwarts. Boy that was hard. Can I get some reviews please? Whose POV should I write for the next chapter: Draco, Severus, Random Student, Hermione or another Harry? Lets wait and see… (drums fingers)**


	3. The First Move

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and stuffs belong to her greatness JK Rowling.)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. AU Hogwarts. 5****th**** Year.**

**Author's Note: Thanks for the reviews, Raven and Peirl! Raven, once again, I am grateful for your advice. It's tough writing this story, and yes, the important part is to enjoy writing it. Peirl, thanks for your input! I'll keep that in mind for the future chapters. Well, here's the next chapter. It's time to get the plot going. Enjoy! (I hope.)**

**Hermione's POV:**

Alright, something strange is definitely going on!

Yesterday at dinner, Ron and I were arguing over his absolutely revolting display of playing with his sausages when Malfoy stood up, holding his head high as ever. He walked over calmly to our spot at the Gryffindor table where he calmly proceeded to stare Harry in the eye.

Ron was gaping at Malfoy, and I even found myself at a loss for words! The whole Hall was silent now, waiting in eager anticipation to see what would happen next. Harry just seemed to watch with a detached sort of curiosity. How odd.

The next moment would probably appear in every single History book for years to come.

Malfoy leaned over towards Harry's ear, ever so slowly. The staff and students seemed to have been frozen to their seats, nervously holding in their breaths. Malfoy whispered something in Harry's ear and leaned back, smirking arrogantly before pecking Harry's cheek. He then proceeded to calmly saunter out the Great Hall, closing the doors with a soft click.

Harry blushed profusely while touching his cheek and stumbled out of his seat, Ron and I closely following behind. Everyone in the Hall still had yet to make a sound. We quickly rushed out of the Hall, and as I closed the doors behind us, I caught a glimpse of Snape's face.

It was the most terrifying expression I had ever seen on him. His eyes held a sort of deep, barely restrained fury mixing in with- Guilt and sadness? There was determination too, in the way his jaw was set, and a promise for revenge.

Strangely, I'm pretty sure he was angry at Malfoy, not Harry. These past two weeks, the two seem to have been at odds with each other. I've caught his eyes trailing after Harry more than once, without the usual vitriolic you-are-the-most-disgusting-imbecilic-creature-to-have-walked-these-grounds look. It was more like desire and longing, and even a hint of- Dare I say it? Caring.

I've seen Malfoy looking that way too. In fact, now that I think about it, their behaviour towards Harry is almost completely different from that of the past few years. They no longer spit his name, Snape doesn't taunt him, Malfoy doesn't hex him, the Slytherins are less hostile…

Harry came to me about this last week actually. My advice was simply for him to be cautious first, watch and see. Don't make any moves towards any of them, simply let them be and see what happens. We went to tell Ron, and after making absolutely sure he wouldn't go and off cursing Snape and Malfoy, we have agreed to have the fifth-years follow Harry around. Even though Snape no longer spies on Voldemort, we don't have the same guarantee that Malfoy isn't just trying to lure Harry straight to Voldemort. Better safe than sorry.

I have to get to the bottom of this. Poor Harry, he has a natural penchant for cain it seems.

Oh dear, look at the time! I have to go find Ron and Harry so we can read up on Chapter 4 for tomorrow's Herbology test again! They should be in the common room…

**So, what do you think? I haven't had any ideas for a good few days, and suddenly *DING!* An epiphany! Ironically, it was while I was doig Maths, like when I usually get all my ideas. It was kind of hard to tell what Hermione's mind was like. Tell me what you guys think, please? Anyway, what you can (hopefully) expect next chapter:**

**The plot has finally started moving! Who makes the next move? Has Draco gained a considerable advantage or while Severus make a comeback?**

**So, yeah. That's all I have to say I guess. Until next chapter then!**


	4. Where art thou, Severus?

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and stuffs belong to her greatness JK Rowling.)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. AU Hogwarts. 5****th**** Year.**

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><p><strong>Wow, thanks for all the hits and stuff. I was so shocked that there were so many people reading my story after the third chapter just came out. Sorry for the long wait, but I didn't want to rush the next chapter.<strong>

**Thanks to Peirl, Raven and Malfoy for the reviews. All feedback is welcome!**

**Moving on with the story now.**

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><p><strong>Severus' POV<strong>

Damn that blasted godson of mine!

What would he want with Harry anyway? Draco is much too immature for the likes of Harry, what with all the things he's experienced.

It's at times like these, when I have the chance to think to myself here in my quarters, undisturbed, that I remember the past years when all I have done is scorned and ridiculed him. Harry, the son of James bloody sodding Potter.

Lily's son…

When I rescued him from the Death Eater attack at his relatives early in the summer, I knew that I would have to give up my role as a spy to save him. I, who usually prided myself on being an excellent judge of character, had failed to see that Potter- No, I should call him Harry now for he is nothing like his arrogant, bully of a father- was nothing like the pampered, spoiled prince I had imagined. I can still remember the incident with vivid clarity.

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><p><em>I rush outside the gates and hurriedly apparate to Privet Drive.<em>

_The Dark Lord has not summoned me for this attack. Is it possible that he suspects me to be unfaithful? No, I must not worry about this now._

_I arrive at Privet Drive and stalk up the path to the front door. Slamming it open, the sight that greets me would leave me with nightmares for many months to come._

_There are the remnants everywhere. Shattered glass, broken photo frames, smashed objects litter the floors. It is clear that no one is left in the house. A deep feeling of dread settles in my stomach._

_As I make my way around the ground floor, through the kitchens and living room and eventually back to the stairs, I spot a cupboard. Having seen no pictures of Potter at all, a gnawing suspicion is nagging at my conscience. There are no signs of Potter having lived here, let alone worshipped and pampered like a prized poodle. A quick detection spell reveals that Potter had been inside it for a prolonged period of time. The guilt mixed with horror intensifies tenfold. Surely they can't have kept him inside there? The space was not fit for a dog! No matter how he misbehaved, no child should be locked in there._

_I open the cupboard with trembling hands. 'Lumos' I whisper, and my breath catches in my throat before speeding up a few seconds later._

_On the wall, scribbled in crayon, are the words 'Harry's room'. A few broken toys displayed on the shelves beside the cleaning products as well as a few old children's books and his Hogwart's letter, addressed to The Cupboard Under The Stairs. His trunk had been thrown haphazardly to one corner. A small cot one one side, beside a broom, mop and bucket. Dust and cobwebs adorned every inch of the small space._

_A few spells reveal that Harry Potter had been living in The Cupboard Under The Stairs for the past ten years. I feel sick to my stomach._

_Stumbling out, I nearly hit my head as I look at the staircase leading upstairs. It was clear that no love was lost between the Dursleys and Harry._

_I can hear the soft crunch of glass under my feet as I walk slowly up the stairs and the sound seems to fill my entire being. It's one of the hardest walks of my life, and it takes all my strength to make it to the 2nd floor._

_One step at a time Severus. Almost there._

_The first bedroom I come across is the guestroom. It's a horrible shade of pink, and it reeks of the fake scent of flowers and dogs. I leave quickly._

_The next bedroom is the Master Bedroom. This must have been where Tuney and her fat lard of a husband slept in. I snort in disgust before moving on._

_This room is where I once would have expected Harry to live in. Dozen's of toys and clothes strewn across the floor. A computer on a desk at one corner, and an unmade bed opposite it. The wardrobe is open, revealing piles of unfolded, grossly over-sized clothes. Taking one step forward, my boot steps in some indistinguishable brown goop. One Scourgify and I'm out of there._

_The last room has at least ten locks on it. At the moment, none of them are locked, and the door is hanging open dangerously on its hinges. It opens up easily with a loud creaking sound, and my mind blanks out._

_The room is absolutely barren. A bed, with the most hole-ridden and thin blanket I've ever seen. A small closet holding old, hand-me-downs from that pig of a cousin that had clearly seen better days. The window is blocked with iron bars as if to keep in a condemned criminal, not a fourteen-year-old Saviour of the Wizarding World. A few dried blood stains randomly splattered on the floor. Under one of the loose floorboards lay the boy's wand, the invisibility cloak from the time of the Marauders, a few dried pieces of meat and some fruit, and a photo. In the photo were the last two people I would have expected to see._

_Lily and I as children, playing at the swing near her house._

_He had known then. That Lily and I had once been best friends. That I had known her, cherished our friendship yet still treated him like James Potter had to me. A bully._

_In my mind, I can feel the image of Prince Potter crack into several infinitely small pieces and fall into oblivion, never to see the light of day again._

_Taking in a shuddering breath, I gather my wits and formulate my course of action. The next thing to do would be to rescue Harry from the Death Eaters. The Muggles were not worth saving, and it was unlikely that they were still alive anyway._

_Oh, the Fates are cruel. For Lily's son to have such a horrible hand dealt to him his entire life._

_How could I have let this happen? With the amount of abuse this boy has seen, added to the danger of the Dark Lord hovering over him and the recent death of the Diggory boy, I may have damaged his fragile trust in adults into nothing. I was supposed to take care of the child, to watch over him and protect him. I may have saved his hide countless times, but I failed to protect him from his relatives. Lily would be so disappointed in me._

_No use crying over spilt milk now, Severus. You must contact Alb-_

_Ah. Just in time too. I can put my rescue plan into place thanks to the Dark Lord's lovely timing._

_I send a patronus to alert Albus to my whereabouts and my plan, step out of the bedroom and make my way to the front lawn._

_The Dark Lord awaits, and it is never good to keep him waiting._

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><p>I then apparated to the Dark Lord's chosen meeting place. Can the man never choose any place that is not cold, dark and damp? My heart leapt into my throat at seeing the Dark Lord cast the Cruciatus at Harry again and again. The bodies of the Dursleys lay on the ground in a puddle of their own bodily fluids. Once he had his fun, the Dark Lord ordered one of the new recruits- some blithering nitwit named Kiltraney or something- to take him to a cell. After the meeting, the Dark Lord allows me to 'play with the Potter spawn' and I discreetly made my way to the cell, fed Harry some of my emergency potions and apparated to the infirmary. The near constant burning of my Dark Mark a few hours later alerted me to the Dark Lord's knowledge of me defection. Nothing a spell that Albus put on it couldn't fix, even if it had to be reapplied every week.<p>

A few days after his deposit into the infirmary, Harry had awaken to the Headmaster and I arguing over the 'loving care' he had received at the Dursleys, ending with my ensuring that Harry would never return there. As I turned to leave, I caught Harry's gaze. The emotions swirling in the emerald orbs had my insides squirming in discomfort, and guilt warred with relief. I flushed and hastily mumbled a 'Good afternoon' before hastily exiting the infirmary.

Since then, I avoided Harry as much as possible, keeping to my quarters other than the occasional meeting with the Headmaster. Meanwhile, my attraction to the boy continued to grow. During the summer, I watched discreetly as Harry recovered, mourned for Diggory,dealt with his guilt after watching people die in front of him, talked with the staff and house elves, and went to the library to study. It was becoming painfully apparent that the past year had forced him to grow up. He spent most of his time studying and practising his spells and even potions. He practised until he had perfected them, then began learning the next year's material. Near the end of the summer, he had covered everything from his first year untill midway through his fifth year.

My admiration and respect grew. After the Start-of-Term feast, I have changed my behaviour towards him in small ways.

Finally, it has arrived to this point. Draco has made his move on Harry, and my search for a clue as to his reasons to do so has bear no fruit. Is he trying to lure Harry into the Dark Lord's clutches?

Either way, I must make my move soon, before Draco captures him once and for annual Hogwart's Fifth-Year's Ball is coming soon. Tonight at dinnner, I will ask Harry to the dance, with a rose and a note too. Perfect.

What if I'm rejected? No, he is not that rude. What if Draco has already asked him? What if-

Stop it Severus! You're acting like you have a schoolgirl crush on the hot guy in school!

But Harry is growing pretty attractive. I wonder what his face would like after being thoroughly kissed?

Oh, great going Severus. Just what you need. To fill your head with these kind of thoughts just hours before dinner.

Sigh.

Three hours has never seemed so long before.

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><p><strong>Okay, hope you all enjoyed the chapter! After spending such a long time planning, I tried to make up for the long wait by making the chapter super long. Severus may be a bit too OOC near the end, but that's how I see him by this point.<strong>

**Once again, feel free to review and give any kind of feedback.**

**What to expect next chapter:**

**The Ball! Who will Harry's partner be? What will his friend's reactions be?**


	5. Declarations

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and stuffs belong to her greatness JK Rowling.)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. AU Hogwarts. 5thYear.**

**Oh holy crap. It's been so long since I updated. I'm so sorry! I do have excuses but I'm sure that to most of you they're just that, excuses. So the best I can do is apologise and get on with the story I guess.**

**Oh and in case you guys wanna know anyway, I only have one thing to say for my prolonged procrastination:**

**Writer's block. Yes, I was hit by the infamous writers block and it seems I'm still suffering from some lingering effects.**

**Here's the chapter now. Let me know what you think!**

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><p>It was with a great, gaping mouth on his face that Harry Potter, the Savior of the Wizarding World and the Boy-Who-Lived, was being formally asked for a dance at the upcoming Hogwarts' Fifth-Year's Ball by none other than Potions Master Severus Snape.<p>

In layman's terms: _the _Severus Snape was asking the Harry _Potter_… on a date.

To say that Harry was shocked would be like saying Albus Dumbledore tolerated lemon drops and would sooner dance in the Great Hall wearing a air of granny panties than eat one ever again. In other words, that would really just be an understatement.

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><p><em>Numerous eyewitness accounts report that Harry had been eating dinner while practicing some minor Transifguration with his potatoes when Professor Snape suddenly swooped down behind Harry from his seat at the Head Table with his hands in his robes, looking uncharacteristically nervous before tapping Harry on the shoulder.<em>

_Gryffindor's 'Golden Boy', as he is unofficially termed, swiftly jerked behind, pointing his wand at the ex-Death Eater's face, a haunted expression on his face (although some, including Dean Thomas say it was 'murderous yet innocent like an Angel of Death') before realising who it was aimed at then swiftly tucking it back in his sleeve with __confusion written in his expression._

_The Dungeon Bat fidgeted in his robe before pulling out a beautiful black Jikordian rose rumoured to be worth twenty five million Galleons as potions ingredients __are (you put 'and') __extremely hard to find given its symbolical meaning as well as the requirements needed to be able to pluck it and holding it in his right hand while going down on one knee._

_By this time, the entire Hall was waiting with abated breath to hear what happened next, most of its diners slumping in a dead faint upon hearing the professor's next words._

_"Harry James Potter, May I be allowed to accompany you as your partner for the Fifth Year's Ball?" _

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><p>Harry was lying on one of the couches in the 'lounge' as he had dubbed the refurbished Chamber of Secrets with a pensive expression on his face, twirling the (thornless even, how thoughtful of the man) Jirkovian rose in his fingers.<p>

The rose was beautiful, almost tragically so and it was definitely special; anyone could tell that. It required strong feelings of romantic attraction towards its intended recipient for the harvester to pluck it, yet came at a price- the giver had to recall some of their most tragic memories while taking it, requiring a strong will and heart.

Most people had given up not having had pure enough intent or a strong will, thus being turned into another rose by the ancient magic within that kept the roses in perpetual bloom. That, coupled with the knowledge that one could only find the rose deep within some unknown forest somewhere in Morocco meant that the flower was undoubtedly rare and treasured. After all, coming at such a great cost, what better way to alert the other party to one's intent than by gifting them with a Jirkovian rose?

When Sna-Severus had invited him in front of all those people, he had immediately blanked his face, not allowing any part of it to betray the thoughts immediately swirling through his mind. He had looked at it through all possible angles given that he had only a few seconds before giving a slight smile and accepting the rose –and his offer- with a "Thank you". For a second, he thought he had seen a slight slump in Severus' shoulders before he straightened and leaned towards his ears to whisper, "You may call me Severus… Harry," and Harry watched him walk away with relief in his eyes and a small, imperceptible hint of a smile on his lips as he whisked away towards the dungeons.

Once the doors had shut he had immediately turned to Ron and Hermione, and the three of them stood up and walked towards their hidden getaway to analyse the latest of the Slytherin's actions. When Harry had turned to close the door, he had caught a glimpse of Malfoy's face and the sight had left him disturbed.

Why on earth would Malfoy look… heartbroken?

Hermione's voice penetrated through his musings gently, " Harry?"

He looked up from the rose to Hermione's worried face and Ron's contemplative one.

"I'm alright Hermione, don't worry." He replied back with a small smile.

"Were you thinking about… your capture?" Instantly, the memories that he kept at bay caused a shadow to cross his face before he smiled again.

"No, it's just… I think I'm attracted to Se-Snape. And, uh, g-guys in particular. If- if you guys don't want to be friends with me I understand."

Harry nibbled his lip while looking down before Ron's fingers forced him to look back up. He was immediately engulfed in a hug between his two best friends.

"Mate, its fine! Hell, even Charlie's gay so why would I be bothered? Don't look so worried, in fact we suspected it long before you told us." Ron's insight towards Harry's insecurities caused him to hug tighter before asking Hermione, "Mione? You're okay with it?"

Hermione pulled back from the hug to fix a stern glare at the friend she considered to be her brother while exclaiming, "Harry! How could you think that we would stop just because we find out you're gay? So you think that guys are more attractive to you than girls. Doesn't matter to me! You're still _Harry_, and that's what counts."

"Thank you," He gasped out softly. "You two are my family, and your opinion matters more to me than anyone else's."

At the statement, Hermione's face softened and Ron hugged Harry even tighter before Hermione suddenly burst out with a sly grin, "So. _Severus_eh?"

Harry ducked his head and blushed brighter than a tomato before mumbling, "He's cool, and he's the epitome of 'tall, dark and handsome'. Plus he's intelligent, got a sharp sense of humour actually,And he asked me to call him 'Severus' earlier." _Not to mention sexy as hell, _Harry added to himself.

Ron had a thoughtful look on his face before pointing out, "You know, I think Malfoy's got the hots for you too. It's really rather obvious that the two of them have been grabbing for your attention now that I think about it."

At Harry's incredulous stare, he explained further. "Well, he glares at Snape as if the other were lower than the scum on the bottom of his shoes when he makes a pass at you, like say, when he touches your hand or compliments you in class. And he's been giving you looks too, you just don't notice them. The only question is what _Malfoy's _motives are."

With an inquisitive look, Hermione asked Harry, "What did he whisper to you anyway? Are you ever gonna-" Upon seeing the furious shaking of his head, she added, "Never mind."

Rubbing his face and giving out a weary sigh, he muttered, "Just my luck that out of the two people who treated me the worst besides Voldemort, I happen to be attracted to the 'Greasy' Potions Professor while he and the 'Slytherin Ponce' have been vying for me all this time and I don't even notice…"

Laughter echoed around the 'Golden Trio' before they retired to the tower for the night, Harry smiling at the rose on his bedside.

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><p>While the Gryffindor trio were getting ready for the night, two other Slytherins were deep in thought, both with the Boy-Who-Lived in their minds. The older wizard was contentedly lying in bed, satisfied at the way his evening had progressed smoothly while the other was plotting furiously on how to show his feelings to Harry before he was too late.<p>

Meanwhile, Albus too-many-bloody-sodding-middle-names-for-his-own-good Dumbledore was feeding Fawkes with a delightful smile on his face.

"Ah, my boys are finally opening up their hearts. I do so hope it ends well for all their sakes, don't you think Fawkes?" He reached out his hand across his desk, only to have the phoenix snatch the bag of sweets away while trilling at the headmaster chidingly.

With an embarrassed chuckle, Albus replied, "Yes, I suppose I _have _been eating a bit too many lately. You've been spending too much time with Minerva nowadays, you're starting to sound like her." The phoenix clucked disapprovingly at him before flying away with the lemon drops.

With a last thought towards Harry, Severus and Draco, Albus went to bed hoping that Harry would get the happiness he deserved. Merlin only knew how long he had been denied it.

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><p><strong>Well, that's the chapter I guess. Sigh. It seems so badly written. I finally got a good idea of what to write and I ended up doing injustice to it. Hurrrh I'm so mad at myself. I postponed the chapter so long and now I can't even write a good one.<strong>

**There you have it. Sev has asked to be his partner, Draco's jealous, Harry's confused. How will this develop?**

**Next chapter:**

**Classes resume as normal the next day, or as normal as they can be considering that Hogwarts' very own Snarky Git had essentially declared his love for Harry Potter, son of James 'Bloody Bullying Git' Potter. How will his classmates and teacher's react? And what about Draco? What are his intentions towards our beloved Harry?**

**Till next chapter I suppose. Hopefully the next one comes sooner than this one.**

**Beersmoo**


	6. Complications Arise

**(Disclaimer: All Harry Potter characters and stuffs belong to her greatness JK Rowling.)**

**Fanfiction: Potter, Choose Me!**

**Summary: It's a new year at Hogwarts, and the Slytherin Prince and Dungeon Bat of Hogwarts have set their sights on one Harry Potter. Can one of them 'out-woo' the other and capture Harry's heart?**

**Warnings: No fixed pairing yet. AU Hogwarts. 5thYear**

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><p><strong>Wait, wait before you guys start throwing stuff around, I know I've been very… late with new chapters and stuff. I do have excuses, VALID ones but like I said before, to most of you these are just that- excuses.<strong>

**Ookay~ umm here's my super lame excuse for not updating: I got lost on the road of life and- *dodges sharp kunai and shuriken from Naruto fans***

**By the way, my birthday's coming up *SQUEEE* And since I totally got super lazy and didn't follow my plan of writing a Christmas or New Year fic, I'll post one of my newest, brilliant ideas on my birthday instead!**

**So, yeah here's the newest chapter of Potter, Choose Me! Enjoy, and um let me know what you think.**

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><p>Harry was having breakfast a few days after Severus' big proposal when Hermione suddenly asked him a question that got the whole Gryffindor table looking at him in interest.<p>

"So, Harry… what are you going to wear to the dance?"

Harry's hand, which at that moment had been about to place a forkful of eggs into his mouth, froze for a fraction of a second before ducking his head quickly and mumbling into his shirt.

Ron, who sat in front of him, curiosity now piqued since Harry was not answering the question, swallowed a mouthful of toast before asking, " Yeah, Harry, what _are_ you gonna wear? By the way, have you told Sirius?"

Putting down his fork with a sigh, Harry extracted his wand from his wand holster before waving it around with a muttered, "_Muffliato_," then turned slightly to his right to face Hermione and Ron. He rubbed a hand over his face tiredly before admitting with a sheepish grin, " Er… You see… I haven't exactly chosen what to wear yet."

When Hermione knitted her brows and opened her mouth, no doubt to berate him for letting such an important matter slip his mind, Harry rushed to placate her, " Its just… you see, all my clothes are castoffs from Dudley, remember? I haven't got anything nicer to wear since my dress robes are an inch too short now."

"And Sirius?" Ron piped up.

A shadow crossed Harry's face as he scowled darkly at the table. "_Black_ did not take too nicely to my last letter when I let him know of my… _leaning_ towards the same sex. Says its disgusting, and as the junior _Marauder_," he spat out hatefully, " I should be following my father's footsteps and try to 'nail some of the hot, older chicks' No way would I tell him that I'm going to the dance with a guy, much less say it was '_Snape, the disgusting, laughable failure of a Slytherin_' as he calls him." He let his head drop so that his fringe covered his eyes while a few tears dropped onto the table. "He… doesn't want to see me ever again… a-and he says I-I a-a-absolutel-ly dis-disgust him…" His last word trailed off until it was barely a whisper.

"Oh, Harry." "I'm so sorry, mate." Hermione pulled him into a hug while Ron grabbed Harry's hand with a firm grip, using his other hand to reach across the table and rub small, soothing circles over Harry's left shoulder. Hermione whispered some calming nonsense into his ears, stopping briefly to share a look with Neville and Luna (who had been sitting with the Gryffindors lately at meals).

Ron raised his wand flicked it before twirling it in a loop towards his right, saying out a soft, "_Distorqueo_" and a nearly invisible shimmer was released out of his wand, expanding while hovering high in the air until it covered the trio completely, finally dissipating and falling around the three Gryffindor students with a small pop.

To others outside the field covered by the spell, they would be unable to look at the spot and would feel compelled to look away. If they had a strong will and managed to stare for more than a few seconds, the table would look as if no one was sitting there. Those with a more advanced level of magic could also add another layer to the charm until they could not only hide what was there but also cause them to see things that were not actually there.

For example, if the caster so wished, he could make it seem as if a coat rack standing in a corner was a cat. He could twist what the mind saw until the viewer either did not see what was there or saw something else entirely. In Ron's case, he made it so that others would see the three of them laughing happily at some jokes and eating as if they had no care in the world.

"He hates me, he _**hates**_ me!" Harry sobbed harder, clutching Hermione's robes with an unrelenting grip. Ron transformed into his _Animagus _form and clambered under the table and onto Harry's lap.

Feeling the sudden increase in weight on his lap, Harry took the offered tissue from Hermione's hand and dried his tears before looking down sadly at the reddish coloured platypus on his lap. The Platypus-Ron made some sort of 'grr' noise before butting Harry's head with its bill playfully. Harry giggled then proceeded to play a little with Platypus-Ron. Unable to deal with the stress suddenly presented to his mind, he pushed away all the _bad thoughts_ into a corner and only focused on playing with the 'new-toy' presented to him.

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><p>Hermione looked on with sadness. It was at times like these that she could truly feel every bit of loathing she harboured for the Dursleys ever since First year. At times, Harry displayed wisdom beyond his years yet at others he seemed to… regress, sort of, until he was half his age. Sighing, eyes filled with a swirl of mixed emotions, she chided Ron for not finishing his food and attempted to get Harry to finish his own breakfast, giving up when she realised that he would not give up his 'fun, furry thingy' and instead fed him a few more spoonfuls before reminding them both that they had to go to their next class and removed the <em>Muffliato<em> around them.

On the trek to their Charms class, Harry was quietly petting Platypus-Ron with a thoughtful look in his eyes. A few minutes later, as they were climbing a set of steps, he suddenly twitched before saying a soft apology and letting Platypus-Ron down. Ron transformed back with a grin and a cheerful, "No problem, Harry," and proceeded to tease Harry mercilessly about his earlier statement of , 'fun, furry, thingy' .

Neville and Luna trailed behind a few feet away, observing the scene.

"He'll be alright, won't he, Luna?" Luna's eyes seemed to sharpen and focus on Harry intensely before she sighed, the dreamy, happy-go-lucky attitude returning to her features once more. "Yes, of course Neville dear. Dear Harry has his friends with him, and the minglecrudocks are watching him all the time anyway."

Suddenly, a devilish grin crossed her lips and she smashed Neville's lips into a dark corridor with a seductive, " Now, _Neville dearest_, I need a kiss for good luck!"

Needless to say, they were noticeably late for their Muggle Studies class and received a stern dressing-down by Professor Smitherson.

Draco was smirking, pleased with the outcome of his latest form of retaliation towards his godfather-turned-rival.

Severus had entered the room a few minutes ago, and the entire common room was silenced by the ominous aura around their Head of House. When he spoke however, his voice was anything but frightening.

"Mr. Nijeil, Mr. Krush, I would like to see you in my office." Severus paused and glanced around to find his Snakes trying to hold in their laughs and his _godson_ smirking smugly in an armchair at the corner.

In his voice (which now sounded like a six-year-old girl's) he snarled, "NOW!" With that, he turned on his heel, his boots clacking on the stone floor and robes snapping with fervor as he walked out the common room door, two third-years in tow. With one foot out the door, no one notices when he points his wand towards Draco and mutters a jinx that would take effect that night with a small grin and the door shuts firmly close for a few seconds before the Slytherins burst into laughter.

The silvery-blonde looks on at the door for a few more seconds with a blank expression before letting a small sigh escape and a melancholy smile graced his aristocratic features.

'Harry… _Mon Amour_'

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><p><strong>So… what did you think?<strong>

**Er, I hope it's better than my last chapter. I know the previous one was absolutely below standard and I deeply apologise.**

**Oh, and um I don't really learn Latin so forgive me if my **_**Distorqueo**_** spell was wrongly translated or something. It's simply meant to be a privacy spell. French too. I used Google Translate.**

**Um, yeah. School is now in session again so it's gonna be hard to update. But on the bright side, I get most of my inspiration during Maths class so… *rubs head with a shit-eating grin***

…

**Well, let me know what you think! And yeah, till next time!**

**Beersmoo**


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